


Harry Knows Best

by ununquadius



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter Friendship, Dreams Coming True, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Freedom, Gen, Happy Ending, Inspired by Tangled (2010), brief mentions of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-06-02 03:35:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19433113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ununquadius/pseuds/ununquadius
Summary: Harry has always lived inside the walls of Number 4 Privet Drive. His Aunt and Uncle keep him protected from the outside world, a place full of people who wouldn't hesitate to use his magical powers to their own benefit. Harry, however, dreams of a trip to London. His dreams will become true, when a blond thief enters his house in the middle of the night.





	Harry Knows Best

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is inspired by prompt 95, 'Mother Knows Best' - Tangled, prompted by rockmarina. I ran out of time to write the fic I wanted to write for you, that was wonderful and ticked off each one of your special requests, but I hope this little fic is as wonderful as the one you hoped for, or at least, a bit good. 
> 
> I want to thank the mods for this amazing fest and for their amazingness at allowing me more time to write when life got in the way ❤️
> 
> And, of course, I want to thank Dexiha and April. Dexiha, this fic wouldn't be readable without your constant corrections that I appreciate beyond words. THANKS! And April, I have no words to thank you enough for your cheerleading ❤️ And, Saphira, you read the first draft of this, and your cheerleading made me want to write more, to put that fic into the light and for people to read it, so thank you, although I wrote this one instead at the end ❤️

Harry looked wide-eyed at the wonderful view of the city in front of him. The tall buildings, the river, the London Eye, and the House of Parliament were too unreal for his eyes. He wanted to explore it, to launch himself in an adventure in the city until he knew every single street, house corner, park, and shop. 

"Well, you already saw it, can we leave now?" the thief, Draco, said from behind Harry's back. He was a tall boy, maybe eighteen years old like Harry, maybe a bit older. Harry hadn’t really gotten any experience in estimating another person’s age during his life. The other boy’s skin was even paler than Harry’s — who had barely been in the sun — and his blond hair was a bit messy, with fine locks getting in front of his eyes all the time. Harry didn’t understand why he didn’t just cut them off. He looked a bit pointy too, all angles and sharp edges, and his grey eyes only made that impression stronger. However, Harry had discovered a cheeky humour in them, whenever Draco wasn’t too busy trying to look menacing.

"But we just arrived!" he dared to protest, though not too loudly, afraid that Draco would take that as him being annoying and immediately bring him back to Privet Drive. 

"Yes, and I told you that they're looking for me here, meaning I can’t stay here very long. I kept my part of the deal, it's your turn now." 

Harry sighed. Draco was right, that was the deal they had made just an hour ago. 

Harry lived with his Aunt and Uncle, the Dursleys, his only living relatives since his parents were murdered by an evil wizard when he was just one year old. The Dursleys had protected him from the outside world since then, forbidden him to go out of the house, because the greedy people would use someone like Harry for their own purposes. And here was the thing: Harry was a wizard too. His magic was powerful and helpful around the house. It was his magic that he had used to knock out Draco when he had entered the house in the middle of the night. 

Harry had tied the unconscious Draco to a chair, and when searching through the thief’s bag, he had discovered that the boy was carrying an old silver locket — which he had probably stolen. That had been Harry's ticket to his dream: a trip to London and in return Harry would give the locket back. And now Draco had done his part. 

"Can we just stay a bit longer, please? I've always wanted to go to Hyde Park." Harry tried his puppy eyes with Draco, even though that it had never ever worked with his relatives, but surprisingly, the thief nodded. 

"Fine! Let's go to the park and then straight back to your house." Draco said, rolling his eyes before promptly marching down a busy street. "I don't understand what you find so interesting in London though. There are prettier places out there." 

Harry quickly followed, not wanting to be left alone in such a big place full of possibly hostile strangers. 

"I've read so much about London, and watched movies about all the town’s landmarks and such, but I’ve never seen it for myself. I— Draco, look!" Harry was beyond excited. He had heard his relatives talk about these places he now was seeing in front of him, and had watched them on the telly, but the concept of all this being the reality had always seemed too foreign to him. 

"A restaurant,” Draco drawled, “so what?" Draco looked at him with a fine eyebrow raised. 

"I’ve never seen one. It's so weird, all those people eating together in the same place. They don’t even know each other! It’s really strange, don't you think?" 

"No?" Based on his expression, Draco clearly thought that Harry was an idiot. 

"It's just that…" 

"Wait, you’ve never seen a restaurant?" Now Draco’s expression was one of surprise, as if he finally realised what Harry said.

“No, I… I’ve never been outside the house. It’d be too dangerous.” The guilt that had been snooping around Harry’s conscience since they left Privet Drive, suddenly grew and soon it occupied his whole brain and heart. He was disobeying them. He was doing something that he’d been told all his life he shouldn’t do. He knew he wasn’t normal, he couldn’t act like the rest of the world and hope to get away with it. Someone somewhere would know about his magic and take advantage of it, of him. 

“What? What do you mean… like you haven’t gone outside, ever?” Draco’s grey eyes were wide open. “No wonder you act like an idiot whenever you see normal things like a tall building or the river. But why haven’t you? Why would it be too dangerous? Are you sick or something? I hope it isn’t contagious!”

“It’s not contagious, you git! It’s nothing, just… My relatives don’t want me to go out for my safety.” Harry said, feeling that pang of guilt again. “Which way now?”

“Don’t they allow you to go out? But that’s… What do they think is going to happen to you? That you’re going to follow the first person you find to a strange city? Oh! That’s why!” Draco smirked. 

“Which way?” Harry repeated in an attempt to divert the attention from himself, since he could feel his cheeks reddening. It hurt to admit it, but Draco was right. He had always thought that he was a good nephew, always doing as he was told and using his magic only to help his relatives, but now that Draco said it like that, he realised that he had always wanted to escape, to know things about the world he could see from the windows, but he wasn't allowed to take part in. At the first opportunity he had found, he had left everything he knew and had followed a boy he was sure was a thief, into an unknown place. His Aunt and Uncle would be beyond angry at him when they returned home from their holidays and found the house empty. And rightly so. 

Draco simply looked at him and started walking again. Harry followed, although the excitement he first had felt was evaporating as quickly as water in a desert. 

“I think your relatives are morons, by the way,” Draco stated matter-of-factly after a while, without checking if Harry was close enough to hear him. 

“They’re not.” Harry glared at him. It had been less than a day since he had met Draco, but he made it very easy to dislike him. 

“They locked you up in a house! I suppose you don’t have friends, either?” Draco asked with an eyebrow raised. It was fascinating how he did that. Harry only been able to raise both eyebrows at once — not just one. 

“I don’t need them,” he said, downcast. As a kid he had dreamed about having friends lots of times — especially when he saw the neighbourhood kids playing together in the street. They looked so happy and carefree… But then he had reminded himself that they didn’t have bad people looking for them since they weren’t wizards. 

“Sure.” Sarcasm was dripping acidicly from Draco’s tone.

“I can’t have them, alright?” Harry was quickly losing his patience with the thief’s bad manners and ignorant words.

“And why’s that?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Listen, my parents don’t want anything bad happening to me either, but I’m still allowed to go out, to have friends… you know? Have a normal life. What your relatives are doing isn’t for your safety. It’s cruelty. Abuse.” Draco finally stopped walking and turned to look at Harry, probably to see his reaction. But Harry didn’t know how to react. He knew what abuse was, and it wasn’t what the Dursleys did to him. Abuse was when parents hit their children or shouted at them, and Vernon and Petunia had never done that to Harry. 

“It’s not abuse.” Harry insisted. “They worry about me, and so they protect me. There are things you don’t know about, so you don’t understand. You don’t know all the facts!”

“Tell me then. Help me understand how locking someone inside a house all their life isn’t abuse.”

“Look, we better keep walking before someone recognises you.” Harry noticed with relief that Draco followed him silently. He entertained himself with enjoying his surroundings; taking in the big buildings, the cars and buses that sped over the wide streets and the trees whose crowns were full of green leaves that offered shade to busy humans. “And what did you do exactly for people to be looking for you?” Harry asked after a while when the silence between him and Draco had started to weigh heavily on his conscience. 

“I’ll tell you,” Draco said after a moment, “if you tell me what I want to know about you.”

“Guess I’ll never know then,” Harry smirked. 

They walked for a few minutes more until they passed a house corner and Draco announced that they’d arrived. Harry looked in awe at the trees, the flowers, and the families enjoying the sunny day in the grass. Without realising it, he sped up his walking, hurrying to get his feet on the green grass. He kneeled down and let his hands move against the ground, letting the grass tickle his skin as he breathed in the fresh air. He couldn’t stop a big grin spreading across his face. It was such a nice place to be! Together, they strolled down the paths and the grass. Harry excitedly pointed at the squirrels, the birds and even the children playing; Draco perpetually rolled his eyes at him and made snarky comments, although Harry thought he noticed a growing fondness in his voice. 

At noon, Draco announced that he was hungry and took Harry to a little restaurant near the park. They sat next to a window that faced the gardens, Harry looking excitedly in all directions and Draco reading the menu like he was trying to learn it by heart. 

"This is so great!" Harry said, unable to stop smiling. 

"Yeah, fantastic," Draco said dryly. "Do you know what are you going to eat?" 

"Mmm, nope. Whatever you want it's fine."

"You do know how to read, right?" Draco looked doubtful. 

"Of course I know, you git!" Harry snapped the menu out of Draco’s hands and scanned it. He really didn't care that much about the food. "I'll have a chicken sandwich, and a lemonade."

"There's no need to be so aggressive, I was just asking.”

They ordered their food and ate in silence for a while, until Draco spoke up. 

“So… how are you liking eating among strangers?” he asked with a light smirk that made Harry’s insides jump a little. 

“It isn’t as weird as I thought it would be,” he said, “but I didn’t know I’d love so many other things, I mean, look at this!” he pointed to the serviette holder, one of those that resembled a little phone box. 

“You like that?” Draco asked, his eyebrow once again raised. Harry didn’t understand why he bothered to put his eyebrow down if he was going to raise it every two seconds. “Not that it’s not pretty… I mean, it holds napkins! But I thought you’d like the salt and pepper pot more. It’s in the shape of the Big Ben.”

“There’s a salt and pepper pot?” Harry could feel how his eyes widened and he was sure his mouth had opened into a perfect o while he looked around for the pot. Finally he found it in the table next to them. 

Once Harry had looked more closely at the pots and Draco had teased him for it, they were ready to leave. Harry thought he had heard Draco whispering something under his breath when the waiter gave them the bill, and he thought it was a bit odd that the waiter looked suddenly confused and went away, but Draco claimed that all was fine and that he had paid for their food, so Harry let it go. 

They finished their trip with a stroll to one of the boats one could rent in the park’s lake. Of course, Draco complained about having to pedal all the time, but Harry couldn’t be happier, in fact, his cheeks hurt for how much he had smiled that day.

After one of Draco’s more imaginative complaints, they stopped in the middle of the lake and took the time to look at the city around them in silence. 

“Thanks,” Harry said a while later. “This has been the best day I can remember.”

“You’re welcome,” Draco said. Harry could swear he saw something similar to pity in his eyes, but it disappeared so quickly he couldn’t be sure. “It was nice for me too.”

“We… we can go back now, if you want. I’ll give you the stolen locket,” Harry glanced at Draco to see his reaction, and was glad to note that he looked a bit alarmed at hearing the word stolen. 

“I didn’t steal it,” he said, with one of his trademark pointed looks. 

“Sure.”

“Okay. I did, but only because it was necessary. It was for a good thing, you know? I normally don’t go around stealing old jewelry.” Draco started to pedal and Harry hurriedly followed before the boat began floating in circles. 

“Sure.”

“Idiot.”

They left the boat and headed to the underground and the train station to return to Surrey. As they arrived at the house, Harry felt the golden happiness he had felt all day becoming duller and duller, until only a beige coloured mass remained inside him. The fear of what he would have to face if the Dursleys found out about his day in London was all he could think about. That and the contrast of this special day to how his life normally was. 

He didn’t want to go back to the secluded house: he wanted to go out, to go for a walk in a town and to discover new things whenever he wanted. And he wanted that little feeling of self confidence he got by being on his own. He owed that to Draco, who hadn’t coddled him but hadn’t mocked him either, when Harry had wanted to see things he had only imagined before. With a defeated sigh, he guided Draco to the living room, where he had hidden the locket. 

“Finally,” Aunt Petunia said, causing Harry to startle into a jump. She was standing in the middle of the room, tall, intimidating and glaring at them as if they were dirt. Harry felt his cheeks reddening and lowered his eyes in fear and shame. “I come home early, looking for my dear nephew and what do I find? The house empty, no note, no nothing! You know you can’t leave the house!” Her eyes were tearing up and the guilt hit Harry like a tsunami. 

“N-nothing h-happened to me, Aunt Petunia, I’m fine, s-see?” He gestured to himself, as if to show his aunt he was still whole in spite of having gone out into the outer world.

“And who is this friend you brought with you?” She shot a glare in Draco’s direction. Harry looked at him too, and it was then that he saw Uncle Vernon standing behind Draco, tightening his hands around his neck. Draco struggled, but he was too thin and weak for Vernon Dursley. “You know that if someone finds out about you, Harry…”

“B-but he doesn’t know, Aunt Petunia! I swear!” Harry could hear the begging tone in his voice, desperation in it, but he needed them to understand, to know that Draco wasn’t one of the evil people that wanted to use his magic for their own purposes. 

“He doesn’t? That’s what you think, you silly boy?” she spoke with the tone she usually used to remind Harry that he didn’t know anything about the world nor its dangers. The tone that made him feel very small. 

She turned around and picked a leather bag up from a table that had been placed by the wall Beside him, Draco let out a small gasp as he recognised it as his. 

“Look at this, do you know what this is?” 

She was holding a wooden stick between her pointing finger and her thumb as far away from her body as she could. Harry had found it near Draco when he had attacked him, but hadn’t thought too much about it. He shook his head to answer his aunt’s question. 

“This is a wand, a magical wand. Remember when you were eleven years old and we made you hide in the cupboard under the stairs?” Harry nodded. “Tell me what happened, then.”

“A man came looking for me,” he whispered, “so Uncle Vernon and you made me hide and told him I was dead. He wanted me to go with him to a castle where he said he’d teach me to use my m- powers. He wanted to use me.” The memories of that day were still as vivid in his mind as the day they had occurred. It had been terrifying knowing that someone outside his little family knew about his magic. 

“That man had a wand like this one. And that boy is one of them. They obviously sent him after you,” Uncle Vernon said, slightly shaking Draco, who only glared at him.

Harry looked from his uncle to Draco to his aunt and back at Uncle Vernon again. If Draco was one of them, he’d had all day to turn him in. Of course, he hadn’t had his wand at that moment, but he could have attacked Harry. Instead he’d seemed to enjoy the trip to London as much as Harry had. 

On the other hand, why would his family lie to him? Abuse, said a little voice in his head that sounded like Draco. He shook his head. There must be something he didn’t understand. Something that either his family had been hiding from him for several years, or something Draco hadn’t told him during their few hours together.

“Wait, you’re a wizard?” Draco suddenly piped up. “That’s why these morons don’t let you go out of the house, so they can use your magic?”

“Shut up!” Uncle Vernon strangled him and Harry let out an anguished shout, at that Uncle Vernon’s hands softened a little around Draco’s neck, allowing him to breath again. 

“See, dear?” Aunt Petunia said in a sweet voice. Almost sickeningly sweet. “We protect you, and you’ve put yourself in danger. We should do something about this boy now. Don’t you think?"

Harry could only stare at her in fear. She seemed to be implying that they should hurt Draco — that Harry should hurt Draco with his magic. But he couldn't. How could he when Draco was the person who’d made his dream came true? Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon could think whatever they wanted, but Harry didn't believe Draco deserved to be hurt or that he’d intended to kidnap Harry. 

"Attack him, boy. Use your magic to put this criminal down," Uncle Vernon bidded, but for the first time in his life Harry was thinking of disobeying a direct order. 

"Don't you see they're the ones using you?” Draco exclaimed. “They say they're protecting you from the outer world, from evil wizards, but what they're doing is taking advantage of you!" 

Draco had to shout the last part over Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia's outraged screams. 

"I… I don't think Draco wants to hurt me… Can we let him go? Please?" Harry begged. "I promise I won't leave again. I'll be good, but let him go.”

“Aw, look at you, silly!” Aunt Petunia said, “Do you know what I think happened, Vernon? Our silly Harry has fallen in love with this boy! As if someone would love you, honey. Do you think someone would like you? You don’t know anything about the world! If he’s showing any interest in you it’s because of your magic and nothing else.”

“I didn’t know he was a wizard until two seconds ago, for Merlin’s sake!” Draco screamed. 

Uncle Vernon put his hands off Draco’s neck and punched him; it was then that Harry felt it. It has been years since the last time it had happened, but sometimes, when he was scared or nervous, he still lost control of his magic. He felt it surge from the pit of his stomach to his fingertips, a hot mass that took control of his body and then exploded in every direction, trying to destroy whatever was menacing him. A few seconds later, the bright rays of magic hit the sofa, Aunt Petunia, the media unit, Uncle Vernon and Draco, and set the curtains on fire. Harry shouted and fell to his knees, exhausted. 

He coughed and tried to get up. He needed to find out if Draco was okay and help him get out of the house. However, all Harry could do was drag himself to where he’d last seen him. 

Finally he found him. Draco was half buried under Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be unconscious. Harry could only seen his face and his arms, but he looked fine.

“Draco? Are you alright?” he said.

“Yes, but I wouldn’t mind not having this walrus on me.”

Between the two of them, they managed to free Draco faster than Harry had thought. He then went to retrieve Draco’s bag and wand, and then pushed Draco to the corridor leading to the front door. 

“You need to leave,” he said as soon as he had Draco safe near the front door. “The locket is in the bag.”

“What are you going to do?” Draco asked, taking a strong grip of Harry’s arm when Harry tried to open the door. It caused Harry to stay in his place, but without hurting him like Uncle Vernon sometimes did.

“What?” He didn’t quite understand what Draco meant. He glanced at the living room; when he was sure the Dursleys weren’t coming back to their senses he faced Draco. “I’m staying here, of course, and you’re going back to wherever you were before coming here.”

“Come with me,” Draco said quickly, determinedly. He was serious, no eyebrow raised, no smirk. 

“With… with you? To where? I can’t… I can’t just leave… My relatives…” Harry looked behind him again, to the little living room. He couldn’t abandon them. It wasn’t right.

“Your relatives are morons, I’ve told you that. If they loved you, they wouldn’t have locked you up nor made those comments about nobody wanting to love you for you but only for your magic. They’re the ones using you. You realise that now, right?” Harry looked again for the smirk or the eyebrow, but Draco’s eyes were still serious. 

Thoughts began turning in his head. He could leave. He could start something new with Draco. A life where he didn’t have to hide, since Draco was a wizard too. A life where he could explore the world and have more days like the one he had that day. Draco was offering him something he had always dreamt of. He should accept, although the guilt for leaving his aunt and uncle was still nagging at him. But after what they had tried to make him do, what they had done to Draco, he wasn’t so sure that staying was right anymore.

“Harry?”

Draco offered his hand, as if for a handshake. Harry took it, and Draco tightened his hand around his. Draco’s hand still wrapped around his, they left the house together. They walked down the street, the breeze in his skin and hair helping Harry to realise exactly what all this meant. It made him feel the freedom of his new life.

“Are you going to tell me what that locket’s for?” he asked. 

“Ah, my dear Harry! Get ready for a story full of adventures, races, fights, and a handsome young man at the front of it all!”

“Be serious!”

“I am serious!” Draco pulled a mock-offended face before continuing with a serious tone. All traces of joking was gone. “You’re not the only one with shitty aunts, you know? A couple of months ago my aunt captured my parents. Then she demanded me to get her this locket or I’d never see them again. So I’m going to give her this and she’ll free them. I’m not gonna make you come with me, of course! It can be dangerous and you’ve just become a free man so —”

“I’ll go.”

“What?”

“I’ll go. You obviously can’t defend yourself very well, I mean, I had to free you from my uncle, so I’ll go with you.”

Draco smiled and started telling him how he had stolen the locket. Harry laughed at his silly storytelling, and maybe for the first time in his life, he felt happy. He was away from home, and had just accepted taking part in an adventure. It could be dangerous, but it was his decision, and he was ready for a new life. He was ready to live his dream.


End file.
